The foot injury which Jonathan Rea suffered in preseason testing at Phillip Island will force him to miss at least the first two rounds of the 2025 WorldSBK season. The Pata Yamaha rider fractured several bones in his left foot, requiring surgery, which he had back at home in Northern Ireland. The recovery period for that injury is such that the Northern Irishman is to miss both the Portimão WorldSBK test on March 14-15, and the second WorldSBK round at the Portuguese circuit on the weekend of March 30th.
Yamaha's newly signed test rider Augusto Fernandez is to substitute for the injured Rea. The young Spaniard, who lost his ride with the Tech3 KTM MotoGP team last year, has been busy testing for Yamaha's MotoGP project, but he will take Rea's place on the Yamaha R1 for both the test and the race at Portimão.
Fernandez has not raced in the WorldSBK series previously, having gone from the European Superstock 600 and the FIM CEV Moto2 championship straight to Moto2. As a result, he will have to adapt to both the Pirelli tires and the Yamaha R1 machine.
The press releases from Yamaha on Rea's surgery and Fernandez replacing Rea appear below:
Augusto Fernández to Replace Injured Jonathan Rea in Portimão
Yamaha Motor Europe can confirm that Augusto Fernández will step in for the injured Jonathan Rea in the second round of the 2025 FIM Superbike World Championship at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve.
Rea was ruled unfit for the opening round of the championship in Australia after a crash in the traditional pre-season test at the Phillip Island Grand Prix Circuit left him with multiple fractures to his left foot. The Northern Irishman returned home to Belfast in the days following the crash and successfully underwent surgery on Friday 21 February. The exact timeframe for rehabilitation has yet to be determined, but Rea will miss the upcoming Portimão test (14-15 March) and Round 2 between 28-30 March.
Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP test rider Augusto Fernández will stand in for the six-time world champion, joining the Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team for both the test and race in Portimão.
27-year-old Fernández, 2022 Moto2 World Champion, joined Yamaha as MotoGP test rider after two years racing in the premier class, so has ample race experience at the Portimão circuit. While he is less familiar with the R1 WorldSBK and Pirelli tyres, the two-day test ahead of the second round will provide the Spaniard with the opportunity to get used to the bike.
Augusto Fernández, Yamaha Factory Racing MotoGP Test Rider
“First of all I would like to send my best wishes for a speedy recovery to Jonathan Rea and to thank Yamaha for this opportunity. This will be my first experience of racing with the R1 but also of racing in WorldSBK. I can’t wait to get to the Portimão test to spend some time on the bike and to see how it feels.”
Niccolò Canepa, Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“Jonathan has been sorely missed here in Phillip Island, but we are happy that the surgery on his injuries was successful and that he has now started the recovery process. We hope to see him fully fit and back on the bike as soon as possible. In the meantime, we spoke with Augusto and Yamaha Motor Racing about the possibility he could stand in for Jonathan in Portimão and he was keen to do so. He is familiar with the circuit, and with the test scheduled ahead of the race we can give him track time with the R1 WorldSBK ahead of the event. We must thank Yamaha Motor Racing and the MotoGP team for their support, and we are looking forward to welcoming Augusto to the team and to the WorldSBK paddock.”
Jonathan Rea Undergoes Successful Surgery on Foot Fractures
Sunday 22nd February - 08:00 (AEDT)
Jonathan Rea has undergone surgery to stabilise the foot injury sustained in his testing crash at Phillip Island earlier this week.
In the opening day of the final test session at Phillip Island on Monday, Rea fell at turn two and sustained multiple fractures to his left foot. After treatment at the circuit medical centre and further scans and specialist consultation, Rea flew home to Belfast on Wednesday.
On Friday, he met with Dr Michael McMullan at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast and underwent surgery to stabilise the fractures. The procedure was deemed a success and Rea has since returned home to begin his recovery.
While the exact timeframe for rehabilitation remains unclear, Rea will miss the upcoming Portimão test (14-15 March) and Round 2 at the Autodrómo Internacional do Algarve (28-30 March).
Jonathan Rea – Pata Maxus Yamaha WorldSBK Official Team
“I would like to thank Dr Michael McMullan and his team at the Kingsbridge Private Hospital in Belfast for the urgency and care to deal with my foot injury. After reviewing the scans from my crash in Australia we made the decision to fly home directly and perform surgery to stabilise and fix the injuries in my foot. The surgery was successful and I will continue my recovery at home with my medical team. I want to thank my team, my family and of course all my fans who have been sending me positive messages during these difficult days.”
Niccolò Canepa – Road Racing Sporting Manager, Yamaha Motor Europe
“We are missing Jonathan here in Australia, as he travelled to the opening round of the season fully motivated and with a growing confidence in the Yamaha R1, only to be sidelined by the testing crash. Unfortunately, the recovery time for the injury he sustained means he will not be able to race in Portimão next month. We extend our best wishes to Jonathan for a speedy recovery and hope to see him back soon.”
